Treatment of materials



Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE New York ElectricCompany, a corporation of No Application April 12, 1935, Serial No.16,036

10 Claims. (01. 91-68) The present'invention relates to the treatment ofmaterials designed to makethem non-wettable by oil and to improve theiroil-resistance. The invention is more particularly directed to animproved method whereby metallic and nonmetallic surfaces may beprovided with a him or films which will prevent the spreading orcreeping of. oil on the surface treated. It is also directed to animproved means whereby a barrier 10 to oil may be presented on a surfaceor within 'materials which normally permit oil, moisture, etc. to beabsorbed by capillary or other action. In a copending application filedof even date herewith in the name of Katherine Blodgett, 1 serial No.16,033,, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there isset forth and claimed means wherebysurfaces may be rendered non-wettablebyoii. This Blodgett application discloses that surfaces may be treatedfor the prevention of oil creepage or oil spreading by providing thereona film or films of a long chain organic compound so positionedon thesurface to be treated that the exposed portion of the molecules on theoutside layer presents a groupa' ing non-wettable by oil.

The present invention is designed to improve the practicability ofapplication of the film to the surface to be treated. It has been foundpossible to incorporate the material which eventually acts an as thenon-wettable film, into vehicles such as varnishes and lacquers. Forexample, from 1 to 10% by weight of ferric stearate have beenincorporated into varnishes, and in addition to providing a non-wettablefilm, it has been found that the oil and water resistant qualities havebeen improved. Also, for example, the addition of 5% of calcium stearateby weight to a high grade sparvarnish produces a non-wettable film witha much higher heat resistance than had been characteristic of filmscontaining ferric stearate;

It will be apparent that such vehicles provide a practical product whichmay be used for dipping, brushing, or spraying to give a durable surfaceover which oil will not creep. Moreover,

5 such surfaces will withstand a temperature of 100 C.

Besides ferric stearate' and calcium stearate,

other metallic soaps, for example, lead stearate,

barium stearate, strontium stearate, cadmium stearate, chromiumstearate, tin stearate and thorium stearate have been successfully used.

One precaution must be observed in employing the varnish as a vehiclefor the non-wettable film material. The latter must be carefully washed,as thoroughly dried and blended with the varnish before there is anychance for moisture to get into the material. Also a high grade ofvarnish, free from moisture, is also necessary to produce good fllms.

In addition to the provision of such nonwettable films as has beendescribed to prevent the creepage of oil on metallic surfaces, otherapplications may be made. For example, wood has its capillary actionhalted when impregnated with a30% non-wettable film material carried ina vehicle such as a refined hydrocarbon of a kerosene nature, forexample, the material known as Bayol obtained from the Standard OilDevelopment Co. of New Jersey, or a chlorinated diphenyl. The wood sotreated is altered to the extent that the capillary action usuallyobserved when wood is immersed in a liquid is stopped. Such treatmentis, therefore, valuable to prevent undesirable liquids, moisture and thelike getting into wood and to prevent the entrance into the wood of"fungus disease and other destructive agencies.

Another instance of the applicability of the present invention is theprevention of creepage of oil or moisture in cotton by the impregnationof the latter with a non-wettable film material. Such treatment readilyugsests itself to woven cablecovering, textile and similar materials torender them moisture-proof or oil-proof in character.

Still another application is the treatment of 30 filter paper withnon-wettable film material producing a drastic change in its propertiesand rendering it water-proof -and oil-proof. What I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. The method of making a surface non wettable by mineral oil whichcomprises incorporating about 5% by weight of calcium stearate into amoisture-free varnish. applying 4 said mixture to the cleaned surface tobe treated and allowing the coated surface to dry.

2. The method of preventing material'from absorbing liquids bycapillaryaction which consists in treating the material with a composition whichwhen dried is insoluble in such liquids and which consists of from 1 to10% by weight of a dried metallic stearate of the class consisting offerric stearate, calcium stearate, lead stearate, barium stearate,.strontium stearate, cadmium stearate, chromium stearate, tin stearateand thorium stearate, incorporated in a moisturefree varnish, andallowing the treated material to dry.

3. The method of preventing material from absorbing .liquids bycapillary action which consists in treating the material with amoisturefree composition which when dried is insoluble in such liquidsand which consists of a substantial but minor proportionof a driedmetallic stearate of the class consisting of ferric stearate, calciumstearate, lead stearate, barium stearate, strontium stearate, cadmiumstearate, chromium stearate, tin stearate and thorium stearate and amajor proportion of a moisture-free vehicle of the class consisting ofvarnish, lacquer and chlorinated diphenyl, and allowing the treatedmaterial to dry.

4. An article of manufacture having a surface provided with a film ofdried varnish containing calcium stearate in an amount corresponding toabout 5% by weight of the varnish as initially applied to the surface.

5. The method of making a surface non-, wettable by mineral oil whichconsists in incorporating into a moisture-free varnish from about 1 to10% by weight of a composition consisting of a metallic stearate of theclass consisting of ferric stearate, calcium stearate, lead stearate,barium stearate, strontium stearate, cadmium stearate, chromiumstearate, tin stearate and thorium stearate, applying said mixture tothe cleaned surface to be treated and allowing the coated surface todry.

6. A method of treating wood which includes the step of impregnatingwood with a composi tion consisting of a substantial but minorproportion of a metallic stearate of the class consisting of ferricstearate, calcium stearate, lead stearate, barium stearate, strontiumstearate, cadmium stearate, chromium stearate, tin stearate and thoriumstearate, and a major proportion of chlorinated diphenyl.

7. Wood impregnated with a composition consisting of a substantial butminor proportion of metallic stearate of the class consisting of ferricstearate, calcium stearate, lead stearate, barium stearate, strontiumstearate, cadmium stearate,

chromium stearate, tin stearate and thorium stearate, and a majorproportion of chlorinated diphenyl. i

8. Wood impregnated with a composition consisting of about 80% by.weight of a metallic stearate of the class cc -of ferric stearate,calcium stearate, lead stearate, barium stearate, strontium stearate,cadmium stearate, chromium stearate, tin stearate and thorium stearate,and about by weight of chlorinated diphenyl.

'9. A substance consisting of a material normally capable of absorbingliquids by capillary action and'which has a surface thereof providedwith a film of a hardened composition which is insoluble in such liquidsand which consists, as initially applied to said surface, of asubstantial but minor proportion of dried metallic stearate of the classconsisting of ferric stearate, calcium stearate, lead stearate, bariumstearate, strontium stearate, cadmium stearate, chromium stearate, tinstearate, and thorium stearate and a major proportion-of a moisture-freevehicle of the class consisting of varnish, lacquer and chlorinateddiphenyl. a

10; An article having a surface non-wettable by mineral .011, saidarticle comprising a substance having a surface normally wettable bymineral oil and on said last-named surface a dried film which consists,as initially applied thereto, of about 1 to 10% by weight of acomposition consisting of a metallic stearate of the class consisting offerric stearate, calcium stearate, lead stearate, barium stearate,strontium stearate, cadmium stearate, chromium stearate, tin stearateand thorium stearate' incorporated in a moisture-free varnish.

VINCENT J. SCHAEFER. d.

